Overview 3 Pastor Profile 4 History 5 Music and Worship 6 Who We Are: Organization 6 Deacon Body 6 Directors (Trustees) 7 Standing Committees 7 Ministry Teams 7 The Church Council 7 Who We Are: Demographics 8 Ages 8 Where We Live 8 Who We Are: Finances 9 2020-2021 Church Budget 10 Five Years of Budgets 10 Legacy Campaign Numbers 10 Overall Giving 2019-2020 11 Total Giving by Age Group 11 Average Gift by Age Group 11 Commitment to Missions 12 Theology 13 The Pastor Search Committee 14

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Overview

First Baptist Church Carrollton (FBC) is a Christian congregation of approximately 400 members located in beautiful Carrollton, Georgia. Adhering largely to the precepts of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, FBC maintains traditional Baptist organization and adherence to the ideals of soul freedom and congregational autonomy. One of life’s most beautiful words is family. At First Baptist Church, we take seriously the Bible’s teaching that Christians are the family of God and therefore brothers and sisters in Christ. As a “family of faith” we seek to worship and serve God, share the good news of the gospel message, and provide the spiritual environment necessary for the believer’s spiritual growth. FBC is characterized by our motto, “Caring People, Sharing God’s Love”. This statement is lived out in our communal life together. Our Church Covenant has been a guide to applying and understanding our values. It states: “We believe that God’s love is demonstrated through Christ and that His love should be the foundation for all relationships. Through His love, First Baptist Church believes in a vision of a fellowship that accepts all those who confess Jesus as Savior and Lord, and a commitment to love God and all people. ● We commit to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and to the open worship of God with dedication and devotion, respecting the call of God for both male and female into any lay or professional ministry of the church. ● We commit to serious study of the Bible, the inspired word of God, with the guidance of responsible scholarship and teachers under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. ● We commit to regular giving of money, time and abilities, and to the faithful care and creative use of our land and buildings. ● We commit to practice religious liberty by respecting the rights of the individual Christian, by affirming the freedom of all people in matters of conscience. ● We commit to ministry and prayer for each other, participating in each other’s joys and sharing each other’s burdens. ● We commit to evangelism and missions, and to make known through word and deed the love of God and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. ● We commit to the example of Jesus Christ, working for justice and peace. ● We commit to voluntary cooperation with other churches in the body of Christ. ● We commit to the free and open exchange of ideas concerning the governance of the church. First Baptist Church | 3

Believing that God sustains this covenant relationship and relying on the power of God’s love and grace, we joyfully pledge to uphold this covenant. We are the people called First Baptist Church: “Caring People Sharing God’s Love.”” Pastor Profile

First Baptist has affirmed its commitment to its values, and vision of “Caring People, Sharing God’s Love” and seeks a pastor who can wholeheartedly support and exemplify such a vision. First Baptist seeks a pastor who is willing to make the preparation and delivery of effective sermons a top priority while seeking to nurture the spiritual growth of our members. The congregation believes an effective sermon is one that is biblically based and challenges listeners to think and to respond. Skillfully delivered and well- composed, focused sermons that touch members spiritually are desired. First Baptist is a cohesive congregation whose members describe it as a family, a place where all individuals are cared for and accepted. We seek a pastor who can continue to nurture and promote such cohesiveness. The congregation desires a pastor who is responsive to the needs of families and members for counseling and to interact with compassion and empathy. A person of deep personal integrity, the pastor should seek to be an example of Christ in ministry and in personal living. We prayerfully seek a pastor who will provide administrative leadership for the church organization and empower and enable our ministerial staff, who are loved and appreciated, to serve effectively. First Baptist greatly values lay leadership, including ordained female ministers and deacons, and we seek a pastor who will encourage and help develop such leadership. The pastor should be committed to working effectively with the deacons and laity to confirm the vision for the church to grow in membership, commitment and service. Carrollton First Baptist Church seeks a dynamic individual to serve as our Senior Pastor. FBCC is a moderate church, largely committed to the precepts of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We are seeking someone who will bring continued energy to the church, working with all generations of members, and one who will work toward the continued growth of our membership. In summary, the ideal candidate for this position will possess the following attributes: ● Hold at least a Master’s degree from an accredited seminary (a Doctorate in Ministry is preferred) ● Have at least five years of experience as a minister ● A sincere, spiritual leader that is engaging, relational and energetic ● Comfortable with managing and leading a staff of full time ministers and administrative professionals ● An experienced pastor that brings an energy to worship

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● Willing to develop a clear and compelling vision for the future of our church ● Able to work with multiple ages and generations, establishing a personal connection to old and young alike ● Comfortable with the expectation to prepare and deliver weekly sermons ● Able to provide a solid record of planning a cohesive worship experience and working closely with other members of the ministerial staff in doing so History

First Baptist Church can trace its history back to the establishment of the Upper Tallapoosa Baptist Church in 1847. In 1875, the present site of the church at the corner of Dixie and Newnan Streets in downtown Carrollton was built as a frame structure that was replaced by the brick building presently used as the Sanctuary in 1908. Many additions since include the first education building (the Annex) in 1928, the Benson Building in 1954, and Burns Hall in 1981. Renovations and updates to Burns Hall and the Benson Building with the Vision 2000 campaign provided better children’s ministry areas and handicapped access to Sunday school classes and the sanctuary. The latest renovation refreshed the Sanctuary and expanded the organ with the Praise/Faith Campaign of 2003. Outreach projects of the First Baptist Church over the years have included helping establish First Baptist Church of Carrollton on Old Bremen Road in 1873 and the Carrollton Baptist Association in 1874. We created the first Sunday school in Carroll County in 1878 and formed the Women’s Missionary Union in 1890. With additions to our ministry such as The Place, our youth ministry center on S. White St., Open Hands United Christian Ministry on Newnan St., the addition of a second morning worship service in 2001, and yearly mission trips within the United States and in foreign countries, we hope to continue to expand and move forward on our goal to be “Caring People Sharing God’s Love”.

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Music and Worship

Music is always incorporated into worship services and other more casual gatherings of our people. The Music Ministry of First Baptist Church is committed to the use of the creative arts to glorify our Creator God. Opportunities are provided for people of all ages to bring praise to God and lead others in worship. This diverse and comprehensive ministry includes choirs beginning at age three through adult, as well as instrumental involvement using handbells and orchestral instruments. The church is blessed with the use of a Steinway piano and Wicks pipe organ to anchor the singing of the largest choir, the congregation. Historically the sanctuary choir, accompanied by professional musicians, has performed a choral work at least once a year, such as the Mozart Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, and Handel’s Messiah. On any given Sunday, the music may vary from classical, to more modern sacred music, to an arrangement of an old Gospel favorite to a Spiritual. The church at present seeks to incorporate music that brings an energy to worship. Among the members are multiple excellent musicians who regularly share their talents both in worship and in more casual settings. Our hand bell choir performs throughout the year. Children’s music is an important part of the music ministry of First Baptist. Children in preschool through 6th grade have the opportunity for musical experiences each week. Who We Are: Organization

FBC is congregational in its organization. It sees its pastor as a facilitator and leader, but not a CEO. Lay participation in the governance of the church is as follows. All are nominated and elected by church members: Deacon Body FBC has a minimum of twenty-one (21) active Deacons whose term of office is three (3) years. The Deacons may vote to add additional active Deacons as the need arises. Each year vacancies created by active Deacons completing their three (3) year service or vacancies created by the Deacons voting to add active Deacon positions will be filled

First Baptist Church | 6 by an election. Nominees for the Deaconship may be anyone who has been a member of FBC for a minimum of two (2) years. After serving a full term, a Deacon shall be eligible for re-election after being off the Body of Deacons for at least one year. Directors (Trustees) There are six Directors (Trustees) who exercise powers conferred by the Church with regard to acquiring and disposing of all Church properties; executing all contracts for real property; executing contracts for gifts and bequests; and administering trusts, endowments and memorials; overseeing the awarding of scholarships and grants; and overseeing the safe keeping of all deeds and titles. The Directors (Trustees) shall be nominated by the Deacons and elected by the Church for a term of three years. Standing Committees 1. Finance and Stewardship Committee 2. Nominating Committee 3. Personnel Committee 4. Properties Committee 5. Constitution and Bylaws Committee 6. Committee on Committees 7. Long-Range Planning Committee Ministry Teams Ministry Teams are volunteer groups that engage our members in the day-to-day tasks of the church’s ongoing ministries. New members are encouraged to join a team that fits their interests. Teams include: Advent Flowers Safety Ambassador Grounds Technology Angel Tree Happiness Transportation Baptism Hospitality Usher Team Bereavement Kitchen VBS Children’s Linen Closet Welcome Disaster Relief Lord’s Supper WMU Education Missions Worship & Music Fine Arts Outreach Youth Development

The Church Council Composed of the Pastor, Ministerial Staff members, Chair of the Deacons and a representative of each Ministry Team. The functions of the Council shall be: to propose Church goals and objectives; to coordinate program plans recommended by the Deacons, the Ministerial Staff, ministry teams and individual members; to schedule resources and facilities in keeping with the overall purposes of the Church; and to evaluate programs and activities with reference to Church goals and objectives. The

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Council shall refer all items calling for further action to the Deacons for their consideration and presentation to the Church for action. Who We Are: Demographics

Ages Active Members By Age: 18 or under 30 Members under 50 19-29 46 175 30-39 34 Members over 50 40-49 65 261 50-59 54 60-69 59 70-79 75 Over 80 73 TOTAL 436

Where We Live

The Carrollton Community offers many pleasant surprises for newcomers. We live in a small city with tremendous amenities for all. Our fantastic 16-mile Greenbelt loop is a highlight for young and old alike. The City Parks and Recreation Department works tirelessly to ensure a quality of life that one would expect from a much larger community. Youth sports, cultural arts, and recreation are just a few of the exceptional offerings our community offers. Our vibrant downtown square is a destination for shopping, local eateries and the arts and entertainment. From an agricultural standpoint, we are one of the largest cattle producers in the state. At the same time, our proximity to Atlanta provides easy access to the metro area. In one hour a person can travel from downtown Carrollton to any of Truist Stadium, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Philips Arena, or Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. It is easier to get to these destinations from Carrollton than from many parts of Metro Atlanta. The population estimate for the City of Carrollton in July of 2020 was 27,259. Carrollton has a notably low median age (26 years) owing in part to the substantial college student population (The University of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College) and growing popularity with young professionals and families with young children. Carrollton’s historic population growth pattern over the last 20 years has been at an average annual rate of just two-percent. Because Carrollton is relatively autonomous from the economic

First Baptist Church | 8 and development dynamics of the Atlanta region, this growth rate is more closely tied to Carrollton’s own economy, which is diversified and stable. This slow and steady growth rate has benefitted the City of Carrollton by enabling services, jobs, and housing to develop simultaneously with the growth in population. In 2016, the U.S. Census estimated that 77-percent of the city’s population worked inside Carroll County. Carrollton’s position as a regional economic hub causes the daytime population of the city to increase to 40,016. Four of the top five employers in Carroll County are located within the City of Carrollton. The largest employer, Southwire, has more than 2700 employees. Carrollton is also the home of Tanner Health System which employs more than 2500 employees. In terms of k-12 education, Carrollton and Carroll County offer top- ranked, nationally accredited systems in both private and public school settings. Carrollton is an ethnically diverse and well-educated community. Nearly one-third of all adults have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to one out of five adults nationally. The median income for married-couple families in Carrollton is the highest in Carroll County ($81,713). This family income has increased significantly from $39,143 in 2000. There are several nearby churches in our area including the other downtown churches: First United Methodist Church, Carrollton Presbyterian Church and St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Other local churches include 1st Christian Church, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Southern Hills: the Church at City Station, Midway Church, Roopville Road Baptist Church, King’s Chapel Presbyterian, A Place of Refuge, Carrollton Hispanic SDA Church, West Carrollton Baptist Church, New Life Christian Church, Church Without Walls and Lifegate Church. A short video on Carrollton is linked here. Who We Are: Finances

First Baptist Carrollton has a long history of faithful and generous giving. Our stewardship campaigns focus on our gifts of time, talents, and resources. FBC is in a secure financial position with healthy reserves, both in operating and restricted accounts. The church actively works to retire debt and sustain a one million dollar budget. Five years ago, the church was given an opportunity to purchase an adjacent property to ensure our future as a downtown church. A successful legacy campaign was

First Baptist Church | 9 launched and we bought the property. Recently, FBC was approached with an offer to sell the property at a more than fair market price that would still ensure our future as a thriving downtown church. As a result of this transaction, FBC is debt free and has $2.2 million in a restricted trust for long term use.

2020-2021 Church Budget

Total Operating Budget $1,050,326 Missions $67,650 Worship $17,800 Witness $2,250 Education $9,950 Fellowship $11,500 Youth/College $15,000 Children $15,000 Other Ministries $15,900 Operations $260,415 Salaries $634,686

Five Years of Budgets

Year Budget Amount Income Expenses Net 2016-2017 $943,775 $940,667 $886,959 $3,098 2017-2018 $996,703 $832,741 $930,532 -$97,791 2018-2019 $1,009,049 $963,781 $1,000,856 -$37,075 2019-2020 $1,065,428 $971,488 $911,914 $59,574 2020-2021 $1,043,740 $293,192 $232,112 $61,080

Legacy Campaign Numbers

Year Legacy Campaign Total 2016 $1,036,000 2017 $509,000 2018 $296,000 2019 $153,000 2020 $235,000 Total $2,250,000

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Overall Giving 2019-2020

Gift Type Amount Check $583,051 Online Contribution $373,670 Cash $16,441 Total $973,161

Total Giving by Age Group

Average Gift by Age Group

Financial State as of March 30, 2021 Our church is proud of the 400+ members that sustain a $1M budget.

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Accounts Checking Account Balances General Fund $202,309 Money Market $247,659 Designated Funds $72,965 Legacy Campaign $165,043 Total Cash Available $687,976

Loan Balance $646,168

Commitment to Missions

FBC has a long history of commitment to missions, both local (community missions) and global (cooperative missions). In fact, our mission's budget is second only to staff and operating expenses. The Missions Ministry Team offers opportunities for all members to put our Christian faith and love into action, serving one another's needs, those of our local community and the world by giving of time, talents, and resources.

A sampling of our community missions includes: Open Hands United Christian Ministries Safe Families Circles of West Georgia Care Portal Habitat for Humanity Carrollton Baptist Association Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Jessy Togbadoya-Liberia Baptist World Alliance For more information on these and other missions affiliations, please visit our website.

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Theology

We believe that God’s love is demonstrated through Christ and that His love should be the foundation for all relationships. Through His love, First Baptist Church believes in a vision of a fellowship that accepts all those who confess Jesus as Savior and Lord, and a commitment to love God and all people.

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The Pastor Search Committee

Dr. Mark Albertus Mark is the Superintendent for Carrollton City Schools and is currently serving as the vice chair of deacons. He joined the church in December 2008. He has taught adult Sunday school, served on the personnel committee, and has been an active leader in worship and throughout our church. Mark and his wife Rebecca have four children, Joshua, Kate, Elizabeth, and Andrew. Carl Brack Carl was born in Portal, Georgia on a farm where he spent most of his young life. He graduated from Portal High School and went on to attend ABAC College and graduated from the University of Georgia with both his bachelors and masters degrees. Carl served his country for nine years in the Georgia Army National Guard. He then went on to work with the Georgia Forestry Commission for 2 years and then went back to work at UGA until his retirement some thirty years later. Because Carl isn’t good at being retired, he continued to work part- time with Goldkist for 9 years, Southern States for 11 years, and Southern Home and Ranch for 6 years. Carl is the proud father of two and grandfather of four. Carl has served in First Baptist Churches in Alpharetta, Jackson, and Carrollton, GA. He has served as deacon chairman four times, brotherhood director, personnel committee, grounds, by-laws committee, and others. David Brooks David completed a 29 year career in public education this year and will be transitioning to Assistant City Manager for the city of Carrollton . He has served as the Deacon Chair twice. Other church involvement includes the Youth Development Team, the Personnel Committee, and the Safety Team. David has taught youth and adult Sunday School and has helped in the nursery and Children's Church. David and his wife Melanie have two daughters, Katey and Hannah. Patti Brown-Traylor Patti retired from Carroll County Government after serving as Election Supervisor for 37 years. She joined First Baptist Church in 1963. She has sung in the choir for 58 years, served on the Board of Trustees, served as Chair of Hospitality Team for many years, served on Personnel Committee and The Legacy Team. She was ordained as a Deacon in 2008 and has served two terms as Chairman. Patti is married to William Traylor and she has two daughters, Allison Perna and Lauren Charles and 5 grandchildren.

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Tommy Cox Tommy has been a member of FBC since 2000. He and his wife, Ann Catherine both teach in the city school system. Tommy has served the church in many ways over the years including as Youth Minister and Deacon Chair. Tommy and Ann have three children. Carmen Dill Carmen Dill is the culinary arts teacher at Carrollton High School. She currently serves as a deacon and is on the personnel committee as well. She has chaired the Youth Development Team, served in the nursery and taught young adult Sunday School. Carmen loves to teach VBS and participate in FBC service projects. She and her husband Brian have been married 24 years and have one son, Mason, who is a college sophomore. The Dills have been members of FBC since 2012. Melina Douthit Melina was born and raised in Carrollton. She and her family moved around the southeast until a job brought them to Carrollton. Melina, Wade, Cole and Ford found a special place at First Baptist, and became actively involved, especially with the children’s ministry. Melina also volunteers in local schools, serves on the boards of local community organizations and helps in the family business. Curt Giebeig Curt is the Vice President of Estimating for Ra-Lin and is currently serving as the chair of deacons. He joined the church in January 2005. Previous positions in our church include leading the men's ministry, serving on the Missions team, participating in several international, regional, and local mission trips (including Liberia), coordinating and cooking meals for first Sunday breakfasts, serving as our deacon chair, properties committee chair, finance committee chair, and has given oversight to several big projects around the church. Curt has served as our BBQ and grill master for many years and has reigned as champion of the Annual Church Chili Cook-off. Curt and his wife Heather have one daughter, Autumn. Jim Hughes Jim has worked in the Construction Industry since graduating from Auburn with a B.S. in Building Science in 1986. He worked for Turner Construction Company and Beers Construction Company both in Atlanta, GA early in his career. He founded and was managing partner of Latimer & Hughes Construction Company in Carrollton from 1994 -2014. He also founded Hughes Custom Homes, Inc. in 1992 and is currently managing director. Jim is currently serving his third term on the Deacon Body and has served as Deacon Chair once. He has served for many years on the Properties Committee and is currently serving as Properties Chair. He and his wife, Tammy have been married for 30 years and have two grown sons: James 25, (married to Abbey) and Jonathan 22.

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Stacy Lawler Stacy is the principal for Carrollton Upper-Elementary School and is currently serving as the personnel chair. He joined the church in February 2004. He is a deacon, has taught adult and youth Sunday school, taught Wednesday night children's lessons with his wife Kristae, and has been very active in our church activities. Pastor Steve's only rival in his fandom for all things Alabama is Stacy Lawler. Stacy and his wife Kristae have two daughters, Katie and Karly. Steve McLendon FBC member since 1970. Deacon, Deacon Chairperson, and Sunday School Teacher. Married to Sharon for 53 years with 3 children and 6 grands. Retired Vice President of Sales and Marketing of the Energy Division of Southwire in 2003. Graduated from Ga Tech with electrical engineering degree in 1970.

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